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NCAA Basketball Tuesday Betting Preview: Bank on Alabama and Texas Tech to Cover

SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking focuses on key matchups from the SEC and Big 12 Conference on his Tuesday college basketball betting card.

Roy Larking

No. 11 Alabama at South Carolina

Alabama is playing a second straight road game when they visit South Carolina for an SEC battle tonight. The Crimson Tide vs. Gamecocks contest is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. This is the lone meeting this season and Alabama is riding a five-game winning streak in this series. These teams met once last year and the Crimson Tide posted a 90–86 win at home. Following four losses as visitors, Alabama has won the last two games played in South Carolina.

Alabama (15–5, 10–1 SEC) heads to South Carolina following a 68–65 loss on the road to No. 18 Missouri on Feb 6. The Crimson Tide trailed 44­–28 at halftime, but a second half rally fell short and Alabama lost as 3.5-point favorites. Prior to that, Alabama had a 10-game winning streak snapped during a 66–61 loss on the road to Oklahoma and then rebounded with a 78­–60 win at home against LSU. The two recent road losses dropped the Crimson Tide to 4–2 straight up and against the spread as visitors.

South Carolina (5–7, 3–5 SEC) is playing a second straight home game following 79–59 loss to Mississippi State as 2.5-point favorites on Feb 6. The Gamecocks shot 31.1% from the field (19 of 61) and made just 5 of 25 shot attempts from 3-point range. Prior to that, South Carolina upset No. 22 Florida 72–66 as 8-point underdogs and lost 93–81 to Vanderbilt as 4-point favorites during two road games. The Gamecocks are 2–5 straight up and 4–3 against the spread over their last seven games.

Alabama enters this contest with an edge at both ends of the court. The Crimson Tide are averaging 79.1 points per game on offense while the Gamecocks are scoring 73.8 ppg. Alabama is allowing 69.2 ppg on defense while South Carolina struggles to defend as they are giving up 75.5 ppg. The Crimson Tide are shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc while the Gamecocks have allowed opponents to hit 44.7% of their three-point attempts. Lay the point spread and bet on Alabama to cover as favorites on the road.

Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 6:30 p.m. ET

Bet on College Basketball All Season at DraftKings

No. 14 West Virginia at No. 7 Texas Tech

Meeting for the second this season, West Virginia visits Texas Tech for a Big 12 Conference showdown tonight. Game time for the Mountaineers vs Red Raiders contest is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. The first meeting, back on Jan. 25, went down to wire as West Virginia scored with six seconds left on the clock. The Mountaineers won 88–87 as 1.5-point underdogs at home. West Virginia has lost four straight road games against the Red Raiders in Texas.

West Virginia (13–5, 6–3 Big 12) heads to Texas following a 91–79 win at home on Feb. 6 against Kansas. The Mountaineers jumped out to a 44–34 halftime lead and easily covered as 2-point favorites. West Virginia was hot from three-point range as they shot 52.4% and made 11 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc. Prior to that, the Mountaineers failed to cover as 11-point favorites during a 76–72 road win over Iowa State. West Virginia is 3–3 straight up and ATS versus AP Top 25 teams this season.

Texas Tech (14-5, 6-4 Big 12) is riding a three-game winning and returns home following a 73–­62 road win on Feb. 6 over Kansas State. Prior to that, the Red Raiders won 57–52 at home against No. 9 Oklahoma and posted a 76–71 win over LSU on the road. Texas Tech is playing an AP Top 15 team for the fifth time over their last seven games. They are 2–2 straight up and ATS in the previous four contests. Overall this season, the Red Raiders are 2–4 straight up and ATS versus AP Top 25 ranked teams.

These teams split the season series last year as the Mountaineers won 66–54 in West Virginia and the Red Raiders won 89–81 in Texas. Posting similar numbers on offense, West Virginia is averaging 76.6 ppg while Texas Tech is scoring 74.4 ppg. The Red Raiders have an edge on defense as they are allowing 61.7 ppg while the Mountaineers are giving up 70.9 ppg. In a “revenge” spot; expect the Texas Tech defense to be the difference in this contest. Lay the points and back the Red Raiders to cover.

Pick: Texas Tech Red Raiders -5 (-112) at DraftKings

Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 9:00 p.m. ET

2020–21 NCAA Basketball Betting Record: 22-10 ATS

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Roy Larking
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